Disappearing lapbanders

[jfc193 718]

8 hours ago, thistlequeen1964 said:

Think I am going to have a look at this Keto diet.


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My wife and her friend follow the KETO diet the only thing I find really strange is the "bulletproof coffee which contains MCT oil (a form of coconut oil) and some folks put butter in it as well. Bulletproof coffee is supposed to trigger weight loss by way of Ketosis because of lack of carbs into burning fat, help with cravings.

[funky_monkey800 242]

Man, there are only a hand full of us left...

[Frustr8 7,886]

And most surgeon's these,days aren't making more. A general surgeon in my town just rstarted extending her practice to Bariatrics, one half is banding, the other half is sleeves, she doesn't offer RnY bypass, which is what I need. I have bad GERD, on a strong PPI ( proton pump inhibitor) which is calming it and my baby ulcer down, but I also need the faster weight loss and I have a first cousin that died at 68, 4 years younger than I am now, of esophageal cancer. They thought they could help her at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio but she died on the table. Gosh, we were pals as well as cousins, been 2 years and I miss June-Ellen still.😪😭

[jfc193 718]

4 hours ago, Frustr8 said:

And most surgeon's these,days aren't making more. A general surgeon in my town just rstarted extending her practice to Bariatrics, one half is banding, the other half is sleeves, she doesn't offer RnY bypass, which is what I need. I have bad GERD, on a strong PPI ( proton pump inhibitor) which is calming it and my baby ulcer down, but I also need the faster weight loss and I have a first cousin that died at 68, 4 years younger than I am now, of esophageal cancer. They thought they could help her at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio but she died on the table. Gosh, we were pals as well as cousins, been 2 years and I miss June-Ellen still.😪😭

Sorry for your loss and for whatever surgery you have may it be successful.

[thistlequeen1964 11]

And most surgeon's these,days aren't making more. A general surgeon in my town just rstarted extending her practice to Bariatrics, one half is banding, the other half is sleeves, she doesn't offer RnY bypass, which is what I need. I have bad GERD, on a strong PPI ( proton pump inhibitor) which is calming it and my baby ulcer down, but I also need the faster weight loss and I have a first cousin that died at 68, 4 years younger than I am now, of esophageal cancer. They thought they could help her at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio but she died on the table. Gosh, we were pals as well as cousins, been 2 years and I miss June-Ellen still.[emoji25][emoji24]

Ditto jfc193. Hope all works out for you.


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[sparkplug 106]

I too will die with the band. Never had a fill and have no problems unless I eat too fast or too big of a bite when extremely hungry. If I did not have this band I would be back to day one. I did gain some weight when I retired but am working on getting it off. I have to get my mind back to what to eat and not eat. It's not easy and I know just as many people with problems from the other surgeries so you need to pick your poison and do your own thing.

[Matt Z 4,138]

Had mine removed March 21st and revised to Bypass... wish I had just gone with the bypass back in 2011 and not deal with the crappy band for so long... I didn't have any major complications exactly, I got stuck on foods I shouldn't, couldn't ever get to the "sweet spot", leafy greens hurt to eat, lots of bs overall. But no erosion, slippage, etc. However, when my surgeon went to remove my band, it was 100% completely encapsulated in scar tissue and took them over 3 times longer to remove than it should have. I have no idea what would have happened if I hadn't had it removed!

[kimmiea30 2]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for support as well. I had lap band 7 years ago. Went from 375 to 145. I had a band adjustment that was too tight and the last two years, I have gained weight.... 240. I'm depressed The Dr emptied my band two months ago. Let me live with eating normally, and filled me yesterday I now feel restrictions again when I eat, I'm full after a Protein Shake but having trouble when people in my family are eating... My brain wants to eat... It's rough

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[Priya1999 0]

There’s a lack of people on here with the band I’m assuming because of the fact many surgeons won’t even do it because it’s been so unsuccessful

[jfc193 718]

27 minutes ago, kimmiea30 said:

Hi everyone, I'm looking for support as well. I had lap band 7 years ago. Went from 375 to 145. I had a band adjustment that was too tight and the last two years, I have gained weight.... 240. I'm depressed The Dr emptied my band two months ago. Let me live with eating normally, and filled me yesterday I now feel restrictions again when I eat, I'm full after a Protein Shake but having trouble when people in my family are eating... My brain wants to eat... It's rough

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Welcome to the forum I had my Lapband surgery in 2007, and would encourage you to go back to what causes you to be successful. My experience after gaining weight is that it tends to come off a lot slower then it used to. So do not get down on yourself. Lapband is just one of the tools at your disposal.

[kimmiea30 2]

Welcome to the forum I had my Lapband surgery in 2007, and would encourage you to go back to what causes you to be successful. My experience after gaining weight is that it tends to come off a lot slower then it used to. So do not get down on yourself. Lapband is just one of the tools at your disposal.

It's just upsetting, I had Tummy Tuck as well and was looking really good, I'm hoping to overcome this and regain my will power. Thank you for responding.. any tips are greatly appreciated[emoji4] [emoji4] [emoji4]

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[kimmiea30 2]

Tummytuckwasblocked out of my message lol

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[LeaM 3]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for support as well. I had lap band 7 years ago. Went from 375 to 145. I had a band adjustment that was too tight and the last two years, I have gained weight.... 240. I'm depressed The Dr emptied my band two months ago. Let me live with eating normally, and filled me yesterday I now feel restrictions again when I eat, I'm full after a Protein Shake but having trouble when people in my family are eating... My brain wants to eat... It's rough

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Hiya,I have set up a small whatsapp group with a few people in the same boat from the UK and Ireland u are more than welcome to join it if u want. I know not as many people use this anymore and its great having the support of sumbody whos going thru the same thing as u.If u want u can mail me ur number and I can add u. My mail is lea9794@yahoo.co.uk

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[Duncan730 3]

Banded Feb 2007, still here. Working my band and mental state. I lost 89lbs and kept it off until 2014 when I was pregnant. Took me a yr to get back to 180 and then had to do 7 months without a fill because of a hernia and a stretched esophagus above my band. I am back at it since 7/30 and feeling so much better and working super hard to get this weight back off because the lower back and knee pains I have due to this excess weight is no joke. Feel free to reach out to me for support or just to chat.

[mindwing 15]

I am one who disappeared. I lived on this site for several months in 2008 (when I got my band. I actually lived here for over several months before, learning what I had to do and getting new habits in place. Stopping soda was hard. Going completely sugar free was harder. By the time I had the surgery done, I was already eating like a bandster. I think I stayed active on the site for a year or so after that. I wasn't an ideal lapband candidate because I spent so much time in a wheelchair due to Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Weight loss was slow, but after the first year I found a doctor locally who gave me fills.

Did the lapband force me to lose weight?-- no. But it kept me from regaining much. That was fine with me. I'd dieted and lost weight hundreds of times, but it always came back with more. So I lived a low carbohydrate life-- green veggies, an occasional tiny slice of melon or bowl of berries, Protein Powder smoothies and meat and eggs. I could only lose weight if I went below 1000 calories, and I did that a few weeks at a time. I tried many exercise programs, but my health prevented most of them, so my weight loss was slow. Sometimes I cheated and ate normally, and gained a few pounds. But mostly, the weight loss held.

Fast forward to now. I have lost 160 pounds, and have 100 more I should lose. But my band has slipped and I can't have fills until it is checked. Tomorrow I go in for the endoscopy.

I've read a lot of stories about how problems can develop after 8-10 years. And I am there. So I have decided to opt for the sleeve. My doctor says I need to wait until spring because I had a stroke, and he wants my body to recover. I hear there isn't the problem of being stuck. I feel I will have to be careful not to make my stomach stretch, but that was a consideration with the band also. I'm already used to chew, chew, chew, and having my food cut into tiny pieces. I know that hobbling helps food go down (I can't walk right anymore) The band has been good to me and I've developed good habits. I think it might be easier to lose weight with the sleeve. My doctor actually wanted me to have a sleeve ten years ago, but insurance wouldn't cover it.

I hope they don't have to remove the band early and let my body heal before switching to the sleeve. But if they do, I hope my good habits will keep me from regaining much.

I can't encourage people enough, early in their band journey they need to follow the rules and make them habit. I was told by my doctor to cut everything the size of a pencil eraser. I still make mistakes and get stuck, but it always goes down. The only time the band swelled completely shut was during cancer treatment, the week before I started chemo. I had an appointment to get the band emptied, but it swelled shut 4 days before. Couldn't even swallow my saliva.

Something everyone should know--when you get sick, the band swells. be it the flu or cancer, the stress from your body will cause the band to swell. Sometimes, food getting stuck was the first symptom I'd notice. So if you get sick, eat more liquid food--smoothies, Soups, and drinks allowed on your diet plan. I make my smoothies with milk/cream, a carrot (not exactly okay on low carb, but I can get away with it) Protein powder, and maybe a leaf of chard. I never could stomach a green smoothie, but a dab of greens in the smoothies is not noticeable.

So I'll haunt the place for a bit and disappear again. For me, the lapband has been a good experience.